Schools to conduct national search for chief

Metro Nashville’s public school district has moved quickly to fill a position left vacant when the district's associate superintendent for high schools resigned last week.

The district has hired a temporary chief to fill the position while a national search is in progress. Aldorothy Wright, a retired Metro Nashville Public Schools administrator, will work in the position most recently held by Jim Briggs.

Wright worked for three years as the district’s assistant superintendent for student services before retiring in 2004.

Briggs will work as an adviser at Nashville’s Big Picture High School, a post he was given after he submitted a resignation letter requesting a return to classroom work.

A permanent replacement for Briggs will be found through a national search, district officials say.

MNPS spokesperson Olivia Brown said in an e-mail Thursday that the national search will include “advertising in many different areas.” A statement from MNPS says a national search is necessitated by the importance of MNPS’s current high school reform work.

“[Wright] can come in with an immediate ability to keep all our reform work and support to high schools on track while we conduct a national search for a permanent associate superintendent,” said Director of Schools Jesse Register in a statement. “I appreciate her willingness to answer my call.”